A fire which gutted a tourist bus near Cromwell was probably caused by a hot exhaust causing wood chips to catch fire.
Cromwell volunteer fire brigade chief fire officer Steve Shaw said it was believed there had been a "transfer of heat from the exhaust system into an area of garden covered in bark chips".
"It’s really dry at the moment and those vehicles run really hot. If it was any other time of year it wouldn’t have happened."
Nearly 50 tourists lost their possessions after flames rendered the bus a "skeleton" on Wednesday afternoon.
None of the 48 passengers on the Trafalgar bus destined for Queenstown were harmed in the incident.
